At military installations, suburban-style sprawl is out and walkable communities are in, under new Defense Department planning guidelines. The guidelines, released this week, call for "compact development" that incorporates mass transit and a mix of residential housing close to shops and other businesses. Energy conservation is a key goal; trees and other greenery should be considered as well.

[..."We have not had a good master planning process," Robyn said. Many bases are "very sprawling, very auto-centric. You have to have to have a car to get around." Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., for example, has 70,000 parking spaces, even though its daily population never exceeds 40,000, she said.